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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. R. BRADY.

VALVE GEAR.

No. 359,766. {Patented Mar. 22, 1887.

WIT SE3 INVENTOR 2 6&5 BY H m/ ATTORNEYS.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.-

(No Model.)

N. B. BRADY VALVE GEAR. No. 359,766. Patented Mar. 22, 1887.

WITNESSES:

Wag/ Z0, Y -z5za2'gw W/C BY I A ATTORNEYS. v

N. PETERS Proto-uxhn mpw. Willinflon. an

NITED S'rarns Parnr @rrrc.

VALVE-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,766, dated March 22, 1887.

Application filed July 8,1856. Serial No. 207,461. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NronoLAs RICHARD BRADY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Balanced Valve and Valve-Gear, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of an improved form of valve and valve-operating mechanism, the main obzo jects of the invention being to so place and arrange the valves that they may be adjusted while the engine is in motion or without moving the crank-shaft when the engine is at rest 5 to so arrange the working parts that they are in full sight, so that every movement of each valve may be followed by the engineer; and to so connect the governor and the valve-operating mechanism that the throw of the valves will be automatically regulated to maintain a uniform rate of speed; and many other objects are aimed at and accomplished by the novel constructions and combinations, to be hereinafter described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side view of an engine provided with my improved form of valve and valve-operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the cylinder and its connections, representing in detail the construction of the valve-operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on line 31 y of Fig. 4. Fig. i is a crosssectional elevation taken on line x of Fig. 3, and Fig.5 is a detail view illustrating the construction of one of the steam-valves.

Referring now to the general construction illustratedin the drawings, isa mainframe, in which there is mounted a crank-shaft, 11, said shaft being connected to the piston-rod 12 in any manner desired.

18 is the cylinder-case, in the upper portion of which there is formed the steam-chest 14, while below there is the exhanstchamber 15, the cylinder proper, 16, being arranged as best shown in Fig. 3.

The ports 2, leading from the steam-chest to the interior of the cylinder, extend almost entirely across the steam-chest, and are quite narrow. X'Vithin the steam-chest I arrange twobalanced slide-valves, 3 3, which are formed with extensions 4, that project outward and partially through the side of the steam-chest. The valves themselves consist of an upper and a lower plate, 5 and 6, that are united by end posts or standards, 7, the parts being so proportioned and arranged that when the steamchest is filled with steam the pressure upon any side of the valve will exactly counterbalance the pressure from the opposite direction, thus permitting the valves to be moved as freely under a full steam-pressure as when there is no steam in the chest.

Through the longitudinal center of the steam-chest there is arranged a rod, l7,which is centrally supported by standards 18, one end of the rod being fitted in a recess formed in the wall of the steam-chest, while the other end of the rod is threaded to engage with a correspondiugly-threaded socket, as illustrated at 19.

Each of the valves 3 carries two sleeves, S, that are supported by diagonal rods 9, the rod 17 passing through'the sleeves 8. Between the inner sleeve of each valve and the approaching central standard, 18, there is arrangeda spring, 20, which abuts against the standard and the sleeve, and normally acts to hold the valve in the position shown on the left in Fig. 3 against a bufier-spring, 21, also carried by the rod 17. The outwardly-extending projection 41; of each of the valves 3 is bolted to aplate, 22-, which rides in a dovetail groove, 23, formed in the side wall of the cylinder-case, the plate being held in position by a gib, 24, that is arranged in the upper part of the groove 23, the gib in turn being held against displacement by a plate, 25, that is bolted to the side of the case. This plate carries a number of set-screws, 26, which bear against the outer face of the gib, so thatas the plate becomes worn the gib may be forced inward,and the wear of the plate will be thereby taken up. Upon the outer face of each of the plates 22 there is bolted a stop or plate, 27, beneath which there is pivotally mounted a dog, 28, the inner lower faces of each of the dogs being beveled, as shown, while the upper faces abut against the lower side of the stop 27, the arrangement being such that although the dogs will be free to move in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 2 they cannotmove in the opposite direction beyond 5 jections 41, which ride in grooves or ways 42,

formed in the walls of the exhaust-chamber, the opposite ends of said valves extending outward through apertures 43, in order that they may be secured to plates 44, which ride in dovetail grooves 45, being held in place by gibs 46, the wear upon the plates 44 being taken up by advancing thegibs through the medium of set-screws 47 Each of the plates 44 is provided with a pin, 48, that rides in a slot, 49, formed in the lower end of the lower arm of a bell-crank lever, 50, that is pivotally connected to the cylinder-case just above the recess 45. The unslotted arms of the levers 50 carry internally-threaded sockets 51, said sockets being pivotally connected to the levers.

Bell-crank levers 60, formed with slots 61 and carrying pivotally -mounted and internally-threaded sockets 62, are arranged in connection with the upper plates; but instead of engaging directly with the valves, in connec tion with which they are arranged, these levers are provided with sliding blocks 63, that are adjustably mounted in slots 61, each block being in turn provided with a wear-plate, 64.

Upon the outer face of the cylinder-case there is arranged a disk, 30, which carries a crank-arm, 31, arranged to be engaged by a loop, 32, formed in the eccentric-rod 33, so that as the eccentric-rod is reciprocated an oscillating motion will be imparted to the disk. This disk 30 carries four pivotally-mounted sockets, 34, said sockets being internally threaded, but in aninverse direction from that in which the sockets 51 and 62 are threaded. Connecting-rods 85 are arranged between the threaded sockets of the disk and the threaded sockets carried by the levers, said rods being inversely threaded, as shown, this arrangement of inverse threads being adopted in order that the relative position of the disk and the valve may be adjusted as desired.

The blocks 63 are connected by rods 65 with bell-crank levers 66, and these bell-crank levers 66 are connected by rods 67 with other bell-crank levers 68, that are connected by rods 69 with a high-speed governor, 70, that is supported by a bracket, 71, arranged at one side of the cylinder-case, the governor being run by a gearing such as that indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. From this construction it will be seen that as the speed of the engine increases the weighted arms of the governor will be thrown out, and the blocks 63 will be moved downward within the slots in which they are mounted.

Then it is desired to remove the valves 3 from the steam-chest, they are disconnected from the plates 22, a bonnet, 90, that is bolted to the side of the cylinder-case and to a plug, 91, is removed, the rod 17 is taken out, and then the valve may be slid out through the opening thatis normally closed by the plug and bonnet.

. In order that'the valves 3 may be properly packed, I arrange a plate, a, in connection with each valve, said-plates being provided with 70 posts I), which project upward through openings formed in the top of the steam-chest. A

proper adjustment of the plates to is secured by adjusting-caps d, and, if desired, springs a may be employed, so as to prevent too great rigidity.

The exhaust-valves are upheld by plates 6, that are supported by springs f, arranged in; recesses, as shown.

In operation the loop 32 is thrown into engagement with the crank arm or pin 31, when, as the main shaft 11 revolves, a reciprocating motion will be imparted to the disk, and, as the disk moves in the direction of the arrow shown in connection therewith in Fig. 2, the valve upon the right in said figure will be forcedforward against the tension of its spring 20 until the wear-plate 60 has cleared the heel of the dog 28, and immediately upon such clearance the spring 20 will throw the valve 90. back against its buffer-spring 21; Upon the reverse motion of the disk the lever upon the right,in returning to position to carry its wearplate behind the heel of the dog, will tilt the dog in the direction of the arrow, and as the disk is moving in this inverse direction the valve upon the left in Fig. 1 will be operated in the manner described in connection with? the valve upon the right. From the arrange ment illustrated it will be seenthat when the I00 steam-port upon the right is open the exhaustvalve upon the right will be closed, and vice versa.

As before stated, the blocks 63 are thrown downward as the speed of the engineincreases, I05 and consequently clear the heels of the dogs sooner than when in a more elevated position; 1 and in practice it will be found that from the peculiar and novel construction of the valveoperating mechanism the engine can be run at 1 IO any speed desired with perfect regularityand smoothness. The valves themselves willbe found to operate smoothly and without material wear, care being taken, in the first in-.

stance, to properly grind the faces ofthe 5.

valves and their seats.

After the valves have been once approxit mately adjusted, any inequalityof throw may be corrected without the turning of the crankshaft if the machine is at rest, or such adjust- I20 ment could be made while the engine was in motion, the adjustment being made bylength-; ening or shortening the connecting-rods '35; or the rod 65 could be and preferably would be adjustably mounted. I 5

It will be noticed that only an extremely small throw of the eccentric-rod is needed, and in order that the eccentric may not seem out of proportion, I have introduced a lever,

80, as shown in Fig. 1,. connecting the main 3 1 portion of the eccentric-rod with the long arm of said lever, while the sectionlof the rod in which the loop 32 is formed is connected to the short arm of said lever 30.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination,with a cylinder and its steam-chest, of slide-valves rigidly connected to plates arranged to slide in grooves upon the outside of the cylinder'case, and a mechanism for reciprocating the valves, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with a cylinder and its steam-chest formed with dovetail grooves, of valves connected to plates arranged to slide in said grooves, gibs arranged in connection with the plates, and a mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the plates and valves are reciprocated, as and for the purpose stated.

3. The combination,witl1 a slide-valve, of a plate bolted thereto, the parts being so formed that the valve may be adjusted to slide within the steanrchest, while the plate will slide upon the outside of said chest, substantially as described.

4. The combinatiomwith a cylinder and its steam-chest, of slide supply-valves, a meclr anisni, substantially as described, whereby said valves are opened, and springs placed within the steam-chest and arranged in opposition to the valve-opening mechanism, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with four slidevalves, two of which are steam-valves and two exhaust-valves, of plates 22 and 44, arranged in connection with said valves, said plates being mounted in recesses 23 and 45, respectively, a central disk, 00, levers 60 and 50, a means for oscillating the disk, and a means for establishing a connection between the levers and plates, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with slide-valves 3, of

plates 22, arranged in recesses upon the outside of the cylinder-case, dogs 28, carried by said plates, stops formed upon said plates, 1evers 60, formed with slots 61 and connected by links to an oscillating disk and plates carried by blocks mounted in the slots of the lever 60, and arranged to bear upon the heels of the dogs 28, a rod, 17, arranged within the steam-chest, and springs 20, substantially as described.

7. The combinatiomwith the slide-valves 3, of plates 2-2, arranged in recesses upon the outside of the cylinder-case, dogs 28, carried by said plates, stops formed upon said plates, levers 60, formed with slots 61 and connected by links to an oscillating disk, and plates carried by blocks mounted in the slots of the levers 60, and arranged to bear upon the heels of the dogs 28, a governor, and connections, substantially as described, between the governor and the blocks 63, a rod, 17, arranged within the steam-chest, and springs 20, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with aslide-valve, of a late, 22, a dog, 28, a lever, 60, and its operating mechanism, a block, 63, rods 65, connected to the block, and bell-crank levers and connecting-rods extending to a governor, all substantially as described.

9. The combinatiomwith a cylinder and its steanrchest, of slide-valves, a stationary rod arranged within the steam-chest, a valve-opening mechanism, and springs carried by the rod and arranged in opposition to the valve-opening mechanism, substantially as described.

NICHOLAS RICHARD BRADY.

Witnesses:

THEo. B. CHASE, E. A. DECKER. 

